All In A Day Of A Ex Racer's Life
by ynm
Summary: Slight RyousukeTakumi The work of an exstreet racer is never done, even after retirement.


Disclaimer : ...mine? I wish...

Author's Note : This is dedicated to a dear friend of mine who first introduced me to Initial D. During the first season, when Ryousuke issued _the_ challenge to Takumi with a bouquet of red roses just took the cake!

* * *

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and Ryousuke was in a good mood. He was 1 hour, 16 minutes and 37 seconds ahead of his medical report writing schedule. This meant that he had an extra 1 hour, 16 minutes and 37 seconds to go through Project D's next race course particulars for the upcoming race next weekend, committing them to memory and working out the best strategy to overcome the course and its drivers. Yes, Ryousuke was indeed in a good mood.

So when there was a knock on his bedroom door, Ryousuke was not happy. An interruption now meant that his ahead-of-time schedule would be ruined. But his irritation disappeared with the gust of cooling wind that blew in though the window when he heard the words, "Aniki?" No matter when, he felt a huge sense of pride to have this upstanding example of a young man call him "Aniki". Ryousuke chuckled, he was beginning to sound like an old man.

"Enter," he called out, setting aside his pen and turning his attention towards the door. Keisuke entered the room, followed by Fumihiro.

"Fumihiro?" Ryousuke raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Did we have a meeting planned?"

"No, Ryousuke. I came on another matter. It was brought to my attention that Fujiwara-kun is apparently not himself lately, ever since the race with Ibaraki's 'God Hand'. It could be that he is currently in a slump," Fumihiko reported.

"Heh, Fujiwara won't be as stupid as to let something like that get him down," Keisuke snorted.

"But he has been like this ever since that night. Fujiwara-kun is shy, and doesn't open up well to strangers so he keeps everything inside. However it won't hurt if we were to pay a little more attention to him once in a while. We treat him like he's an adult because of the maturity he displays but we often forget he's much younger than us and needs attention," Fumihiko said.

Ryousuke pondered over Fumihiko's statement. It was true, he often gave Fujiwara just enough advice for him to win and recently his advice was getting more and more cryptic, forcing Fujiwara to decode it while racing on the downhill. But that was because he wanted Fujiwara to improve, there was much potential in that boy.

Ryousuke came to a decision. "I'll go and take a look at him," he said. It was more efficient to get to the bottom of the matter early and correct it before it becomes worse.

"Thank you, Ryousuke," Fumihiko said as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Yes, what is the matter, Keisuke?" Ryousuke asked his younger brother who didn't make a move to leave the room.

"It's rare to see you willingly involve yourself in another person's personal life. You usually respect their privacy," Keisuke observed.

"It's different," Ryousuke answered as he put on a light jacket.

"How so?" asked Keisuke, pressing for an answer.

"It just is. He is one of our ace drivers. We can't ignore anything that might affect his performance. Now, go and do something useful instead of standing here and asking pointless questions," Ryousuke brushed Keisuke off as he grabbed the keys to his car and exited the room. Keisuke followed him dutifully out to their front door and waved him off, smirking the whole time.

Ryousuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Keisuke's behaviour. He must really stop spoiling him. That boy now assumes he's got Ryousuke eating out of the palm of his hand. He got into his white FC and kicked the car into reverse, smoothly backing out of their driveway and onto the road. He then threw the car into first gear and stepped on the accelerator, the kick giving him an adrenaline rush no matter how many times he's done it before.

* * *

Takumi took a step back from his 86, brushing back his bangs with a wet hand. He had just finished washing his 86. He was wet, sweaty and his clothes stuck to him like a very soggy second skin but he was feeling very accomplished. The 86 stood gleaming under the sunlight and that sight was worth the time spent.

As Takumi was about to clear up the cleaning items, he hear the whir of a very familiar but long-unheard engine. He looked up to find his guess accurate. A shining white FC was coming down the road of his street and what little people who were walking down it turned to stare.

The FC continued until it drew level to Takumi's shop cum home and slowed down, parking by the side of the road. The engine was turned off and the sound of a door opening was heard. A head of sleek, well-groomed black hair first appeared in Takumi's vision followed by a tall, lithe body clad in an impeccably ironed dark blue long-sleeved shirt and slacks.

Seeing such impeccable grooming made Takumi aware of how he must look at the moment. His hair was sticking to his head in wet clumps and he was wearing his oldest and rattiest T-shirt and pants because he knew he was going to get dirty cleaning the 86. When compared to the image of a perfect gentleman in front of him, Takumi felt that he must be sadly lacking.

The driver of the FC turned and pinned Takumi with piercing eyes. This continued for a few seconds while Takumi fidgeted nervously under that gaze before he then nodded to himself, as if coming to a decision, then approached Takumi.

"Fujiwara, get dressed, I'm taking you out to dinner," Ryousuke said without any warning.

If Takumi was the kind of guy who showed his emotions easily, he would have fallen over flat on this face. As it is, Takumi's eyes only widened slightly at the sudden order. Yes, order. Although it may be worded as an invitation, the tone behind the words was definitely that of an order.

"Ano…Ryousuke-san, what's this about?" asked Takumi timidly.

"We need to talk," was all Ryousuke said, and that was all Takumi had to be content with. Ryousuke didn't let out more than you needed to know at the moment.

"Ryousuke-san, I'm not ready…," Takumi trailed off, gesturing weakly at his clothes. Ryousuke eyed Takumi from head to toe.

"You have 30 minutes to get ready. Now invite me into your house," Ryousuke ordered. "I'll wait for you inside."

Takumi couldn't do anything but agree. When Ryousuke had his mind set on something, not even rampaging elephants could persuade him to do otherwise. He led the way into his house and invited Ryousuke to sit as he prepared green tea for his guest.

In the middle of mixing the tea, Bunta wandered in, scratching his chin.

"Oi, I heard the sounds of an engine. Who was it?" Bunta started to ask then stopped and stared at the man sitting at his dining table in a formal seiza. He looked as though he had just stepped out of the pages of a men's fashion magazine, not that Bunta had ever read a men's fashion magazine, perish the thought.

"Ano…this is Takahashi Ryousuke-san, the head of Project D," Takumi scratched the back of his head as he gestured at Ryousuke. "That's my dad."

Ryousuke got up and bowed slightly in Bunta's direction. "It's an honour to meet you, sir."

Bunta cleared his throat, unaccustomed to such a formal greeting. "Yeah, nice to meet you too," he waved casually in return, indicating for Ryousuke to retake his seat. "Is there anything we can help you with? Toufu, fried toufu…?"

"No sir, I'm here to take your son out to dinner," Ryousuke answered politely.

Bunta choked on his cigarette drag as the sounds of water splashing over the side of a cup was heard and a slight hiss of pain as the hot water hit skin. Take his son out to dinner? Did he hear that right? He looked suspiciously at the man before him. Did he say that man looked like he stepped out of a men's fashion magazine? Now that he had a closer look, this guy looked like some kind of smooth-talking con artist, and a perverted one at that.

Takumi placed a cup of green tea in front of Ryousuke and his father and spoke quickly, "It's not what it sounds like. I'm sure Ryousuke-san has something important to speak to me about regarding Project D, right?" Takumi sent a silent plea to Ryousuke to back him up.

"That is correct," Ryousuke said, "Now go and get ready, I don't have all day. Don't forget to put some cream on that burn."

Takumi blushed as he covered the slight red patch on the back of his hand and nodded, getting up and walking out of the room.

With Takumi gone, the room was silent, both men not speaking. Bunta still had his suspicions about this guy, no matter what Takumi said.

"So, do you take boys out to dinner a lot?" asked Bunta casually.

"No, Fujiwara's the first," Ryousuke answered. Of course he didn't make it a habit to take boys out to dinner, what kind of a question was that? In fact, even Keisuke had to wheedle his way before he could persuade Ryousuke to take him out to dinner, and even then only on special occasions. However, Keisuke's silver tongue had managed to turn it into at least a bi-weekly event, with his "New Sneakers Day" or his "I Cut Myself Shaving Day". Ryousuke shook his head helplessly, he really was spoiling the boy.

Ryousuke also just didn't have the time nor interest to bring random gallery girls to dinner either, they usually either ended up hyperventilating whenever Ryousuke tried to start a conversation or was too intimidated to reply in something more than monosyllables. Plus Project D and his internship, it's a wonder if he even has time to sleep.

Ryousuke tapped his fingertips on the table. The silence was beginning to get on his nerves. He usually didn't mind silences but Fujiwara's father was shooting him suspicious looks from behind his newspaper, acting like a father eyeing his daughter's first date. Did he look like he was going to kidnap his son or something? He prayed for Fujiwara to hurry up and return.

There were sounds of padding feet on the stairs and Takumi appeared in the doorway, slightly out of breath from rushing. His hair was still wet but combed back neatly, and he was dressed in a cable-knit sweater and slacks. Ryousuke nodded in approval, that attire was going to suit where they were headed just fine.

Takumi blushed slightly at the look at approval in Ryousuke's eyes. He couldn't help it, he admired this person, as a street racer and man. He wanted to be just like him, even though Takumi admitted it was impossible for someone like himself and would never happen in this lifetime. So Takumi would settle for admiring this person as close as he would allow Takumi to get.

"Come on Fujiwara, let's go," Ryousuke said as he got up from the table. He then bowed to Fujiwara's father again, taking his leave. Takumi said goodbye to his father and followed Ryousuke out the door, stumbling slightly when he attempted to put on his shoes while walking.

They got into the FC and Takumi buckled himself into the passenger seat. This was a privilege not many can boast of, and even fewer during an actual run. But Takumi was going to take what he can get. Ryousuke started the engine and then they were off, the engine a smooth, almost silent purr. Takumi sat in silence as he watched streets, houses and people flash by the window.

"Is Italian okay? There's a place nearby that serves good Italian food," Ryousuke asked, never once taking his eyes off the road.

Takumi started to nod in agreement then realized that Ryousuke might not be able to see it. "Ah, yes it's fine," he answered, even though he had never eaten Italian before in his entire nineteen years of life. Takumi was more of a fast-food/traditional Japanese food kind of teenager, the exposure to Japanese food because of the way he was brought up. He did live above a tofu shop afterall.

Takumi supposes Ryousuke-san was brought up eating luxurious meals a commoner like him can't imagine spending money for and hopes that he doesn't make a fool of himself later. Italian, now that he thought about it, they were the ones who invented pizza right? So he could order that, he's eaten pizza before. Takumi smiled, feeling proud of himself.

Ryousuke observed Takumi from the corner of his eye. Contrary to popular belief, Ryousuke didn't need to keep his eyes on the road all the time when driving. He also knew Keisuke had been placing bets with the Project D members on whether Ryousuke drove with both his eyes closed. Which was ridiculous, who could drive with both eyes closed? Especially when there were so many uncertain elements on the road during the day. Now during the night was a different story altogether.

He watched as Takumi started making really odd faces, first a thoughtful one, then a scrunched up one, ending with a pleased one. Fujiwara was a really odd character, Ryousuke thought to himself, but an interestingly odd one. Who would have thought a boy like him, who didn't even know the names of car parts much less the names of the cars themselves, could be such an amazing driver?

They soon arrived at the restaurant, a cosy looking brick front shop in a quieter part of town. It had a discrete, expensive look to it, Takumi thought. He was starting to think he would have been better off dressed in more formal looking clothes. Ryousuke exited the car and Takumi followed after him. They walked up the front door and entered the restaurant, the tinkle of a bell accompanying their entry.

At the front reception desk was a young boy dressed in a suit, and his face brightened up as soon as he saw Ryousuke enter. He stood up and quickly walked to greet them as they approached.

"Takahashi-sama, it's been a while! A table for two? Please, follow me," the boy said enthusiastically as he led the way into the restaurant. Takumi saw that the restaurant had rather private seating arrangements with quite a distance in between tables, and the lighting was dim and inviting. He also noticed that the customers here were mostly couples.

The boy ushered them to a table a distance from the other customers and waited for them to be seated before he gave them menus. He then fidgeted, apparently fighting some sort of inner battle with himself before he gave up.

"Ano, Takahashi-sama, may I ask when will be your next race?" the boy asked, nervously playing with the ends of his suit, afraid he might offend with his question.

"I'm retired now, I don't race anymore," Ryousuke answered kindly.

"But, it's because of Takahashi-sama that I started to race! You can't retire! You're the best street racer ever!" the boy declared fervently. Takumi felt that this boy was somewhat similar to Itsuki in his love for street racing.

"There are many other promising stars in the street racing world. If I retire, someone will take over my place. Take for example, Fujiwara over here," Ryousuke said, nodding in Takumi's direction.

Takumi felt his face burn up. "Ryousuke-san, how can you compare me to yourself? I-I…" Takumi started stammering. The boy turned to look at Takumi closely and then his eyes lit up like fireworks.

"You're the downhill ace of Project D's, aren't you? The driver of the AE86!" the boy eagerly said. "Wow, to think I'll get the chance to meet you! They say you're quite reclusive! Wait 'til my friends hear about it! May I have your autograph?" he continued while digging in his pockets for a pen and paper.

Takumi continued blushing as Ryousuke looked on with an amused smile. It wasn't funny! He was sure Ryousuke-san was immune to this kind of attention by now but Takumi had never had such burning adoration directed his way before. To end his misery faster and in hopes that the boy will go away, Takumi took the pen and quickly signed the piece of paper.

"Yuuji, don't bother the customers! How many times must I tell you, do not speak to the customers about their personal affairs! Takahashi-sama, I apologize for his lack of manners. What would you like to drink?" a smartly dressed middle aged man interrupted Takumi's autograph session, sending a chiding look at the boy. The boy, Yuuji apparently, sulked a little before going back to his post.

"Saehara-san, it's been a while. How is your family?" Ryousuke greeted the man politely.

"As well as ever, Takahashi-sama, thank you for asking," Saehara replied.

"I would like some white wine, something mild," Ryousuke said.

"Very well, we had a new delivery today, I shall bring something to your taste. Are you and your guest ready to order?" enquired Saehara.

"Fujiwara, what would you like?" asked Ryousuke, turning to Takumi's direction.

"Eeto…pizza," answered Takumi.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, but pizza is not on our menu this evening," Saehara apologized. Takumi felt embarrassed, did he commit some kind of error in ordering something that was not on the menu? He saw Ryousuke glance at him and he immediately directed his gaze at his hands twisted in his lap.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't really eat Italian, the only thing I know of is pizza, so I'm not sure what to order…" Takumi apologized to his lap.

He heard Ryousuke chuckle and looked up in surprise.

"Saehara-san, I feel like having pizza too. I'm sure Antonio-san would be able to whip something up for us, would you mind asking him?" asked Ryousuke, closing his menu. "For antipasto, we'll have bruschetta and for the _il primo_, minestrone soup. The pizza will be the _il secondo_. For the _il contorno_ we'll have Antonio-san's wild garden salad and _il dolce_ will be tiramisu. Anything else, Fujiwara?"

"If it's not too much trouble, perhaps extra cheese on top of the pizza?" Takumi asked hopefully.

"Of course. Extra cheese on top of the pizza please, Saehara-san," Ryousuke requested.

"At once, Takahashi-sama. Please wait a moment for your drinks," Saehara said, collecting the menus from them, smiling gently at Takumi and leaving them alone.

"Ano…I'm really sorry if I did something wrong, I'm just not used to places like this," Takumi apologized again, this time to Ryousuke's face.

"Nonsense, I did ask you what you wanted to eat. Antonio really should put pizza on the menu, what's an Italian restaurant without pizza anyways?" Ryousuke said.

Takumi smiled at him gratefully. Most people would assume that Ryousuke was a rich spoilt brat but once you got to know him, he really wasn't. He _may_ be a little direct when speaking, but that was because he didn't believe in buttering up reality. Keisuke as well, he may look like a street punk, but he is a very considerate and helpful person who took friendship seriously.

"The chef of this restaurant, Antonio, he's a friend of my father's. He's Italian, but is now a Japanese citizen. He met his wife here, a lovely Japanese lady, and decided to migrate here after they got married. They have two children, but they're still young. He's still quite young himself, only in his early thirties," Ryousuke said, trying to make Takumi feel comfortable. He realized that Takumi was not very comfortable with the atmosphere here because he wasn't used to it. But this was one of the few places where they could get privacy. They could talk after dinner was over without any disturbance.

"I see. Is Antonio-san the owner of this restaurant?" asked Takumi, feeling more at ease now that they were alone with no strangers around.

"Yes, he is. He opened this restaurant in celebration of the birth of his first child. We were all invited for dinner. But the staff, as you can see, are all Japanese," Ryousuke elaborated further.

The clicking of shoes on wooden planks signaled the return of Saehara with their drinks and a tray with a large plate.

"The Master wishes me to inform you that your request will be done immediately. Please enjoy your bruschetta," Saehara said with a bow, placing the plate before then, and then leaving them once again.

Takumi looked at the dish in front of him, it looked like grilled pieces of bread topped with cheese, tomato and meat slices. Ryousuke picked up a slice and gestured to Takumi to follow suit. Takumi picked up a slice and bit into it hesitantly. It was delicious! After the first tentative bite, Takumi was digging into the rest of it happily.

The rest of the meal was uneventful, but a culinary adventure of the first class kind. The pizza much better than anything Takumi had ever eaten at any fast food restaurant. The cheese was gooey and melted in your mouth. For dessert, they had something Ryousuke-san had called tiramisu. Its main ingredient was something called mascarpone cheese, but it was unlike any cheese Takumi had eaten before. The waiting staff was well-trained, they re-filled their wine glasses before it was empty. Takumi had lost track of how many glasses he had drank. However, he didn't feel drunk at all, just on a slight high perhaps.

Thoughout dinner, they talked about cars, techniques and Project D mostly. But it was more or less common topics of conversation. Takumi wondered for what purpose did Ryousuke-san take him out to dinner? If it was to talk about this, they could have done it at one of Project D's meetings. There was no need for Ryousuke-san to go through so much trouble.

Takumi scraped the bottom of his dessert bowl mournfully. He had finished the delicious tiramisu. But on the other hand, he was feeling very full after a delicious dinner and he can brag to the old man about it afterwards. He giggled at the thought of it. After the giggle escaped, Takumi noticed Ryousuke giving him an odd look so he beamed back at him to show that everything was fine.

Ryousuke was taken aback by the smile Fujiwara had just given him. It was a smile he hadn't seen before, happy and contented. It was quite rare to see Fujiwara smile, if at all. Well, Ryousuke was sure he probably smiled a lot around his friends, but with the Project D members, he usually had a more shy, reserved smile. Who would have guessed it took, Ryousuke quickly counted, 4 glasses of white wine for Fujiwara to lower his defences.

Ryousuke frowned, he hoped Fujiwara wasn't too drunk to talk about whatever was bothering him. But after observing him the whole evening, Ryousuke was about to come to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with Fujiwara. Sure he was quiet and all, but when wasn't he? He would personally deduct tonight's expenses from Fumihiko's account if it had all been for nothing, interesting dinner companion aside.

"Ryousuke-kun! It's been a while! How are you?" Without warning, Ryousuke was tackled from behind. Takumi gave the person a startled look, Ryousuke was a person who kept his distance and wasn't into touching. The man was really tall, with tanned skin and natural dark blonde hair. This must be the person Ryousuke spoke about.

Ryousuke, however, calmly turned around and greeted the surprise guest. "Good evening Antonio-san, as usual your dishes were superb."

"Thank you for your praise. And who's the cute one over there?" asked Antonio, turning his attention towards Takumi. But Takumi was confused, 'cute one'? Was there a girl behind him? But Antonio-san's eyes were looking straight at him.

"A-ano, nice to meet you. I'm Fujiwara Takumi," Takumi got up with a clatter of chair and bowed slightly.

Antonio laughed, the hearty sound turning heads towards their table.

"He's a cute one alright, so polite. I haven't seen such a polite teenage boy in such a long time. Where did you find him?" asked Antonio, admiring Takumi. Takumi started to fidget again, he wasn't used to such attention.

Ryousuke made a slight noise before answering. "He's under my tutelage as a street racer. He's not used to the way Westerner's do things, so don't frighten him," Ryousuke warned.

"Alright, alright, I won't touch," Antonio raised his hands in mock surrender. "So, Fujiwara-kun, how was dinner?"

"It was delicious, especially the tiramisu. Your cooking was excellent," Takumi replied politely, still a bit reserved about this man who spoke too loudly and gestured too wildly.

"I'm glad to hear that. But it's quite rare for Ryousuke to bring someone here for dinner, much less a boy. I think the last time I saw you here with someone not blood related to you was…let's see…huh, I can't remember. But you were here with Kei-chan last week though," Antonio finished.

Takumi felt his eyes grow wide. 'Kei-chan'? This was something he had to see to believe. He didn't think anyone in Project D would _dare_ call Keisuke-san 'Kei-chan' to his face and not suffer any repercussions.

"Antonio-san, we still have something to do so we'll be taking our leave. Thank you once again for the delicious food," Ryousuke said, getting up from his seat. Takumi quickly followed his lead, bowing in thanks to Antonio.

"Nonsense, I'm always happy to see you. Come again soon, and bring Takumi-chan with you too. Ah, Kei-chan as well," Antonio beamed. Takumi had just graduate from 'Fujiwara-kun' to 'Takumi-chan' in the space of 5 minutes.

Ryousuke just smiled, a Mona Lisa smile, neither confirming nor denying. He then gestured for Takumi to head to the exit and followed Takumi out. As they passed the front desk, Ryousuke returned the wave Yuuji gave to him with a nod as they left.

It wasn't until they got into the FC when Takumi gathered the courage to speak, "Ano, Ryousuke-san, but what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Ryousuke spared a look in Takumi's direction before he reversed out of the parking space. "We'll talk about it someplace more private. Didn't know Antonio-san would suddenly feel like coming out of the kitchen to greet us," Ryousuke sighed.

"Antonio-san seems like a very nice person, plus he's a really good cook," Takumi said. "The food was really delicious."

Ryousuke smiled. "Is that so? Well I'll bring you here again some other time. After all, Antonio-san wanted to see you again. We'll come with Keisuke."

"Ah, b-but only if it's not too much trouble," Takumi stuttered, afraid of imposing on both Ryousuke and Keisuke.

"No trouble at all. I'm sure Keisuke won't mind," Ryousuke said. "Come on, we'll go up Mount Akina. It's a nice night, I'm sure the view will be great."

Takumi nodded eagerly. He loved Mount Akina, almost as much as his 86. It was where he started driving, and the starting point of his adventures in the street racing world.

They drove up Mount Akina in silence, Ryousuke displaying not even 5 percent of his usual skill on his way up. Takumi was slightly disappointed, he wanted to see Ryousuke drive.

Once they reached the flat area at the top which was the starting point for the downhill run, Ryousuke parked the car and got out, leaning against the guard rail, motioning for Takumi to join him. Takumi got out of the car nervously, wondering what Ryousuke could possibly have to say to him.

He walked over and leaned against the railing beside Ryousuke. A cool night wind was blowing and Takumi lifted his head, letting the wind cool him down. The wind had the slight hint of dampness so there was a possibility of rain later tonight.

"Fujiwara, Fumihiro said that there was something bothering you. It would please me if you could tell me what it is so that we can solve it, otherwise it may affect your performance in the next match," Ryousuke said, looking off in the distance as he did so.

Ah, so that was what Ryousuke-san wanted to talk to him about. Of course it was about Project D, what else could it be about? But Takumi had a dull pain in his chest when he thought about it, as if disappointed. But that didn't make any sense, right from the beginning he knew it had something to do with Project D. There was no other reason for Ryousuke-san to speak to him otherwise.

There it was again, the pang in his chest. Was it indigestion or something? How odd, Takumi mused to himself. He shook himself when he saw that Ryousuke-san was waiting for him to answer.

"It's nothing really, Ryousuke-san. You don't have to worry yourself over me, I'm fine. I won't let anything endanger the reputation of Project D. But even if something did happen to me, Keisuke-san can take my place with no harm done," Takumi said, trying to placate Ryousuke.

"What do you mean by statement?" the tone in which Ryousuke said those words could have frozen Hell ten times over.

"Eh? Statement? I don't understand…" Takumi trailed off, afraid that his slowness would anger Ryousuke.

Ryousuke rubbed his forehead slowly. He then spoke slowly and clearly as if to an elementary school child, "Keisuke can replace you; what did you mean by that?"

"Eh? Ah, no I didn't mean anything by that. It's just that…Keisuke-san is really talented. He not only can race the up-hill but he won on the down-hill as well. So if anything were to happen to me, Keisuke-san can easily race for me," Takumi explained. The pang in his chest kept getting more and more frequent. He wondered if he should ask Ryousuke-san to take him to a doctor for a check-up in case he was ill.

"I chose you to be a part of Project D for a reason; to be the project's downhill ace. If you can be replaced that easily, I would have no need to put you on the team in the first place," Ryousuke said, his face emotionless. Takumi couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment. Was he angry?

"But Keisuke-san was really amazing, he won on the downhill, which wasn't even his specialty. I wouldn't have been able to do the same thing on the uphill," Takumi said.

Ryousuke was silent after that. He didn't speak, just stared off in the distance thoughtfully. Takumi was nervous, did he say something to make Ryousuke-san angry? If only he had Ryousuke-san's manners, he was sure he wouldn't commit any social mistakes then.

"Why do you think Keisuke managed to win on the downhill that time, Fujiwara?" Ryousuke finally spoke.

"Why? Well, many factors I guess. Partly because his FD was lighter which makes it easier when you are going downhill, his opponents tires giving out because of the drift battle, and also because of his determination," said Takumi, ticking off the reasons on his fingers.

"So the reason he won was because his car was lighter than the opponents', and his opponent seriously misjudged his cars' ability to handle the corners in a continuous drifting showdown," concluded Ryousuke.

"I-I guess so," said Takumi.

"Why do you think you win downhill challenges?" probed Ryousuke.

"If it was on Mount Akina, I would say familiarity with the course and the lighter weight of the 86. But my dad, he passed me on the downhill once in his Impreza, so it can't all contribute to weight much," Takumi said, ducking his head down in shame.

"So, your father who had the same amount of familiarity with the course, if not more, passed you on the downhill with an Impreza. What does that tell you?" pressed Ryousuke.

"Modern cars are faster than the 86. If it wasn't because of the techniques my father taught me and my familiarity with the course, I most probably would not have won over everyone else on Akina," Takumi whispered.

"Then I'll ask you a question, do you want a better, faster car? Even with all the upgrading we do to the 86, it still won't be able to compete with newer cars. If you wish it, we can get you another car. With a newer car, your victory will be guaranteed, both on the uphill and downhill," Ryousuke said.

Takumi looked up at Ryousuke, horrified. A new car? Then what would happen to the 86?

"No! No, I don't want another car. I like my 86, I don't want to change to another car! Even if I won, it wouldn't feel like I have!" Before Takumi even knew it, the protest tore itself from his throat as he grabbed Ryousuke's sleeve unconsciously, small tears of terror forming at the corner of his eyes.

Ryousuke smiled. "Then what is the problem? Keisuke won on the downhill because of his luck, skill and his bond with his car. I'm sure you would be able to win on the uphill as well if you had a more powerful car. But because you love driving the 86, that is why you're my downhill ace. The 86 is best suited for downhill racing and I wouldn't force you to do something you cannot."

Takumi looked up at Ryousuke, with a hopeful smile. "Really? You won't make me drive another car?"

"Of course. It would be useless to force you to do something you don't like. That will affect your driving and in the end will not be beneficial to us. Here, use this. A grown man like you crying? Really Fujiwara, are you truly 19?" Ryousuke chided without any anger, taking out his handkerchief and wiping the tears that had threatened to roll down Takumi's cheeks.

"S-sorry, it's just that…I don't know. All of a sudden something just burst in me," Takumi apologized.

"Why are you thinking of such useless nonsense? You are my downhill ace because I believe in your abilities and there's no way I'll replace you with Keisuke. Besides, we can't have him driving both challenges, he'll collapse from exhaustion. You are good in what you do, believe in that. I chose you for that reason and I am never wrong in my judgment," Ryousuke said, finishing up cleaning Takumi's face and pocketing the handkerchief back.

"Thank you Ryousuke-san. And I'm truly sorry, acting this way," Takumi apologized again.

"So are you feeling better now that you got that off your chest? Or is there anything else bothering you?" asked Ryousuke.

"Oh, no, nothing at all. I-Thank you very much Ryousuke-san, for taking the time to bother about me. I'm sure there are a lot of other important things you could have done," Takumi said.

"Frankly, there was. And I could have asked someone else to talk to you. But I chose to do this on my own free will so you don't have to worry about anything. Just focus on winning our next match," Ryousuke said, getting up and brushing the back of his pants. "Well, I suppose we better go back down, it's getting late."

"Yes," Takumi smiled at him. Ryousuke returned the smile with a small one of his own.

"Come on, I'll show you how I drive," Ryousuke said.

"R-really? That would be great! I have always wanted to see Ryousuke-san's driving from the passenger seat!" Takumi cheered, face lighting up.

Ryousuke shook his head, why was he so soft towards adorable street racers under his tutelage? He was acting like an old man; and he was only 24. Seeing the smile on Takumi's face, happy from something as simple as being given a chance to see Ryousuke's driving from the passenger seat, Ryousuke thought to himself, perhaps spoiling adorable street racers under his tutelage wasn't such a bad thing after all.

-owari-


End file.
